Day 131: Of two Minds

Hey everyone, thanks once again for reading Let's Talk About PrEP. I'm really excited that since I have started writing this account of my experience on PrEP that there seems to be an increase in the number of people I have seen talking about PrEP and more importantly I have seen a lot more people who say they are talking to their doctors about PrEP. Word is getting out and people are realizing that Truvada as PrEP is a valid option in HIV prevention. Awesome!!!

This brings me to something I have been trying to decide how I feel about for a while. As PrEP gained some notoriety, something disturbing came along with it. The term Truvada Whore started to be used by many who were trying to degrade those who were taking PrEP. This stigmatizing term is a way of ignorant people slut shaming responsible people who were being proactive in their own protection. This seems no different than the recent comments I mentioned in my last blog about PrEP being a "Party drug." The Truvada Whore term was intended as a derogatory attack. Since then there has been a campaign to reclaim the derogatory term as many have done before. An HIV counselor in San Fransisco has even made t-shirts. Now many people feel this is a great way to take back the term. I, however, am on the fence about how I feel about this campaign. I definitely see the fun side of taking the term and freely using it as a way to rebel against the stigma. On the other hand, rather than embracing the term I would much rather see it be eliminated from our vocabulary all together. I feel that no mater the intentions of the shirts and advertizing this term, using "truvada whore" just seems to further the negative stigma surrounding the use of PrEP. Create a new term, start a campaign against the term, or just ignore it, the less attention paid to it the better in my mind.

Now please don't take this as an attack on any of you who have purchased this shirt, or supported this campaign which is absolutely going to a good cause, but rather view this as the other side of the dialogue. I will not be making the purchase, but I would love to hear what you all have to say about this topic. Are you a #truvadawhore supporter or do you feel as I do? I don't really think there is a wrong side to this debate, just two different approaches to the same problem, the stigma surrounding PrEP.

Day 80: No News is Good News, but so is Good News

Hey everyone, thanks for once again visiting "Let's Talk About PrEP." It has been 80 days now since I began taking Truvada as PrEP, almost 3 months. Last week I had my three month check in with my doctor. You see, when you take Truvada, there is a limit of 3 months to each prescription. Each new prescription is dependent upon a negative HIV test.

So I went in and visited my doctor and she decided that in addition to the HIV test she wanted to take a look at y liver enzymes, to make sure nothing is being effected by the medication. While I was talking to her, my doctor mentioned that she was surprised how few of her patients were on PrEP, and how she wanted to get more people on it. I talked to her about this blog as well as some other resources for those who were thinking about the sue of PrEP. The more the word gets out, the more people will be able to be protected. One thing we spoke about that might be a deterrent for some people is the commitment to take a pill every day. That leads me to one of the exciting pieces of news that came out last week that researchers are getting close to the development of an injection that could replace the daily pill. and this injection you would only have to get once every 3 months. I know for me this would be preferable to trying to remember a pill every day, and it might encourage more people to consider PrEP.

Anyway back to the doctor's visit. I have to say that this was by far the calmest I have ever been when getting an HIV test, because I knew I was if anything OVER protected. And this is the first time I haven't waited anxiously by the phone for a call. I knew if something abnormal came up I would get a call, but no news came my way, and I was okay with that. No news in this case is very good news.

Then there was another announcement that came out that a study that has been going for two years has found that no undetectable partner, gay or straight has transmitted HIV to their partner. Exciting news. and important in understanding HIV transmission and the laws that correspond to it. You can read more about this study here.

Alright, that's all I have for now, as always, thanks for visiting. Any feedback is always appreciated, and if you have any questions I would be happy to field them. Make sure to keep spreading that word about PrEP to anyone who might benefit from it. An easy conversation starter... "Let's Talk about PrEP."

Day 36: Changing the Message

Hey everyone thanks once again for reading Let’s Talk About PrEP. Thought I’d do a little check in, seems like it’s been a while since I’ve written. Not too much on the home front to report, I got my prescription refilled, which worked a lot easier than I expected it to. Really, I didn’t have to do anything. The medication was shipped to my doctor’s office with no action required on my part. I have to say; that it was an unexpected, pleasant surprise when I got a call saying my medication was in. Other than that, I’m still feeling great, and I’ll be honest, my sex life is healthier and happier than I think it’s ever been. It’s amazing the great burden that is lifted once you know that protection is in place and the peace of mind that PrEP has brought to both my partner and me.

I have been reading a lot about PrEP lately. And it’s brought a few things to mind and has also opened my eyes to something that seems counter-intuitive to me as a human being, the idea of stigma for protecting yourself. So ok, I’ll start with a personal story. A few months before I began taking Truvada my boyfriend was asked to speak on a panel in LA in regards to PrEP. I, wanting to get out of St. Louis for a few days and in desperate need of a vacation, decided to join him. (Ok I guess I also went to support him, but don’t tell him that. It will go straight to his head.) So, we get to the Hollywood Improv, which was pretty cool, and toward the very beginning of this panel discussion a simple question was asked of the audience, which consisted primarily of gay men; How many of you use a condom every single time you have sex? The response wasn’t very surprising, a sparse raising of hands but a vast majority of the room looked around with their hands still firmly planted at their sides. With this information, the panel proceeded to discuss the merits of changing the message of what constitutes protection. I was dumbfounded when the leader of the AHF (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) continued to preach that the most effective tool for prevention was condom use and that should be the only message to the world. He would not accept the fact that there is a medication in Truvada that will provide people at high risk of infection with an alternative.

Fast forward to this week. I read a great article on HIV Plus Magazine’s website about PrEP. It was written by Michael Lucas and made some really interesting points. You can find the article here. Then I got curious and started reading the comment section. This is where once again the stigma of using PrEP reared its ugly head. Comments such as “I wonder if there is a pill that would stimulate brain activity? Why on earth would you take medication that you don't need? Stupid. Irresponsible.” Or “Gay men are not shouting from the rooftops about this potential game changer" because it's both woefully toxic and ruinously expensive.” These comments really seemed like an attack on those of us taking PrEP by uninformed people. But this is the culture that exists, gay men have been told since HIV/AIDS became a prevalent factor in our community that condoms are the only way to protect themselves from becoming infected. Times have changed and it is time that our message has as well. Luckily, I have not experienced the stigma that seems to exist, in fact I have had a really positive response to my sharing my PrEP journey. What have your experiences been? As always, I’d love any feedback or questions you might have. Thanks again for reading!